Swingin' Single

Company, a play by Stephen Sondheim, is the story of Bobby, a man who just can't give up the life of being a bachelor.

By BARBARA L. FREDRICKSEN

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 9, 2000

Robert -- "Bobby" to his sizable circle of sophisticated New York pals -- is facing two major life crises: The arrival of his 35th birthday and the stark realization that he's slipped into the role of resident confirmed bachelor.

Not that he couldn't get married. There are plenty of women out there who would snap Bobby up in a New York minute (including the wives of some of those pals), but Bobby boy shrinks from commitment.

Instead, he rotates among April (Erika Mitchell) the airline attendant, Kathy (Sara DelBeato) the ex-girlfriend and Marta (Lisa Olmo), the bachelorette who is as resolutely single as Bobby. In between, Bobby carries on mild flirtations with his pals' wives and at least one of the pals.

That's the setup for Company, Stephen Sondheim's landmark "concept" show opening Thursday at the Richey Suncoast Theatre and continuing weekends through July 2. Although it's 30-years-old itself, Company's dialogue and dilemmas are as modern as HBO's Sex and the City.

The show started out as 11 little plays about life and love for actor Kim Stanley to do in one evening, but legendary director Harold Prince saw the makings of a musical comedy in the stories. Prince persuaded writer George Furth to use two of the playlets to make a whole show and Sondheim to tie the various story lines together with 13 diverse songs, and, voila! Company.

The show revolves around Bobby (Tampa actor Fadi Akhtar), a mix of Peter Pan and Hamlet. He doesn't want to grow up, but he can't make up his mind what to do otherwise. His married friends want him to get married, either to join the fun or share the misery, and his single friends think he should stay solo.

The score embodies several riffs sure to be familiar to Sondheim followers -- a bit of Into the Woods here, some Sweeney Todd there and a whiff of Follies later on. There's also the signature Sondheim staccato rhythm and dissonance to go with the recognizable Sondheim irony and sarcasm.

THE CHARACTERS

Harry (Michael Dixon) and Sarah (Laurie Beth Swenson) are a high-achieving pair in constant competition with each other. Harry is an alcoholic on the wagon; Sarah is constantly on a diet.

Susan (C. DeAnne Whetstone) and Peter (Patrick Curran) have lovely children and are happily, happily married -- or are they? Perhaps they are fooling themselves and the world, or maybe they are as happy as they look.

Jenny (Wendy Siegel) and David (Rob Glidden) seem a perfect pair, even as they cling to a youth that is rapidly slipping away from them.

Amy (Francesca Guanciale) and Paul (Jim Sargent) live together and are always planning to get married someday, but don't seem to be in any hurry to do so.

Joanne (Gaylia Cole) and Larry (Lanny Freeman) are the mature couple who are the apparent future for those coming behind. Joanne, who likes young men a lot, but rich men more, is on her third marriage.

THE DIRECTOR AND CAST

Award-winning director Dick Poole, who has been at the helm of scores of shows in Oregon, Hawaii and Florida, is effusive in his praise for both the show and his cast.

"It's a difficult show, and the music is very, very intricate," he said. "But we have a marvelous group of actors doing this as sort of an ensemble piece.

"It isn't R-rated, but it's not for children. Let's just say it's for grown-ups."

Lead actor Akhtar has played at several regional theaters in such shows as Lend Me a Tenor, Fiddler on the Roof, Noises Off and Meet Me in St. Louis. "He's a marvelous dancer and choreographs, too," Poole said.

Dixon won an award for "best supporting male actor" at the Show Palace Dinner Theatre in Hudson for his portrayal of Ali Hakim in Oklahoma!, one of many roles he has played at the theater. Ms. Swenson recently won a Lary Award for her portrayal of the title character in The Unsinkable Molly Brown at St. Petersburg Little Theatre.

Whetstone has held lead and supporting roles in the musicals Sugar, Guys and Dolls and Hello, Dolly; Curran played Charley in Charley's Aunt in St. Petersburg and in Black Coffee at Francis Wilson Playhouse in Clearwater.

Ms. Siegel, a teacher in St. Petersburg, has been in Arsenic and Old Lace, Annie, Sound of Music, She Loves Me and Meet Me in St. Louis at various venues; Glidden, a former resident of New Port Richey and frequent player at Richey Suncoast Theatre, has more recently performed at Stageworks in Tampa, St. Petersburg Little Theatre and was Stanley Kowalski in Streetcar Named Desire in Temple Terrace.

Ms. Guanciale played Paula in The Goodbye Girl for the Seminole Players and has been in Lion in Winter and The Sound of Music; Sargent, who is in education in Pinellas County, is making his debut at Richey Suncoast in this play.

Ms. Cole last appeared at Richey Suncoast singing I"m Still Here in Follies. She is a model for Home Shopping Network and has performed in professional theater in various roles. Freeman was also in Follies at Richey Suncoast, as well as in Evita, Desert Song, The Bad Seed, Sugar Babies and several other shows.

Ms. Mitchell has appeared in Charley's Aunt at Richey Suncoast and in Oklahoma! at Francis Wilson; Ms. Olmo played in Follies and Evita and won a "best actress" award for her lead role in Wait Until Dark at Richey Suncoast and sings professionally in Tampa; Ms. DelBeato is frequently seen at the Show Palace Dinner Theatre, most recently as Fifi in Can Can and as Doatsy Mae in Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Mary Ann Boos is music director. Sets were designed by Bruce Blaine and built by Blaine and Charlie Skelton.

Company, a musical by Stephen Sondheim

• WHERE: Richey Suncoast Theatre, 6237 Grand Blvd., New Port Richey

• WHEN: Thursday and June 15-18; 23-25; 30 and July 1 and 2. Performances at 8 p.m., except Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

• TICKETS: $10. Box office opens 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and one hour before each performance. Call (727) 842-6777. Credit cards accepted, with service charge.

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